MySA.com: Jaime Castillo | Politics

Gonzales inexplicably drew a line in the sand over the lack of authorization he received to conduct an audit of the city’s playground equipment.

He sealed his fate by firing off a snotty, petulant memo to City Councilman John Clamp, the chairman of the audit subcommittee which acts as a clearinghouse for pending audits.

Worse, Gonzales, who never formally asked the subcommittee whether he could do the audit, didn’t keep it between Clamp and him. In a misguided attempt at a power play, he included on the message all 11 council members, the group that hires and fires him, plus a sundry list of other officials.

The inept politics seemed obvious although I don’t recall any of the articles mentioning any of these details. Unfortunately, I would think that good, trust-worthy auditors may have a tendency to be less than expert at playing politics. But like Jamie says, that’s no reason to get rid of the auditor position.

Technorati Tags: San Antonio city auditor, Pete Gonzales, John Clamp

Last month, City Council members shrugged off the recommendations of three advisory panels and city staffers as they granted a developer’s rezoning request to build a subdivision just over a mile from the center of Toyota’s pickup plant on the South Side.

And the council members thought this was a good idea because …? Given Earl’s arguments, maybe the owners of Boobbie Rock should have hired him to deal with Diane Cibrian.

MySA.com: South/East

Earl, the lobbyist, scoffed at the idea that the manufacturer should have any sway over how or whether nearby property owners develop their land.”

What gives them the right to tell my client what they can do on their property, a mile from the plant?” Earl said. “Have they bought an easement? No. Have they paid my client for their property? No.”

Ultimately, I’m not sure this is the result of terms limits and subsequent council inexperience in the way some people believe.

MySA.com: South/East

Wolff blamed the move on the council’s inexperience, with eight of its 11 members having held office for less than a year.

I think it has more to do with some council members looking forward to their post-city council employment opportunities. Should their aspirations continue to be in the political arena cooperating with David Earl would benefit them more than trying to accommodate Toyota.

Jaime Castillo’s column makes some very interesting observations regarding the situation including that:

MySA.com: Columnists

Former Mayor Ed Garza, who chairs the City South Management Authority, said Earl could’ve received permission for that kind of use under the city’s conservation ordinance.

Yet, Earl pushed for and received an “urban district” rezoning classification, which opens the door for other land uses.

“Basically, what the council gave him, he can do half-acre lots,” Garza warned, “but he can also do high density, if he wants.”

It seems pretty obvious to me why Earl pushed for the urban district classification. Who do you think it would be easier to sell to: families interested in paying for houses on large lots within a mile of the plant or singles or young couples who can’t afford a house but want to live closer to where they work?

I think the council members understood exactly what they were doing when the voted to reclassify the land. David Earl has a lot more to do with their long term interests than any of the voters of their council districts.

Technorati Tags: San Antonio City Council, South Side Toyota, zoning changes, David Earl, Harry Hausman, Diane Cibrian, Philip Cortez

Voting locations include

Bexar County Justice Center 300 Dolorosa

Cody Library  11441 Vance Jackson
Collins Garden Library 200 N. Park
Las Palmas Library  515 Castroville Rd.
Shavano Baptist Church 5047 DeZavala Rd.

Technorati Tags: San Antonio, District 5, District 8, run off, city council

Candidates for the Leon Valley City Council, Places 1 and 5, have been invited to a forum being hosted April 30 by the League of Women Voters.

The forum will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Leon Valley Conference Center, 6425 Evers Road. The election is May 12.

For more information, call (210) 921-5022.

Technorati Tags: Leon Valley, Texas, voter, vote

]]> http://digdeepertexas.com/2007/04/27/leon-valley-will-host-voter-forum/feed/ 1 http://digdeepertexas.com/2007/04/23/district-3-san-antonio-city-council-seat/ http://digdeepertexas.com/2007/04/23/district-3-san-antonio-city-council-seat/#comments Mon, 23 Apr 2007 16:02:40 +0000 Dig ad veritas http://digdeepertexas.com/?p=395 MySA.com:Distrit 3 incumbent facing no challenge

As City Councilman Roland Gutierrez looks back on his first two years in office, he does so with a sense of accomplishment and amazement.

“It’s been very challenging managing the day-to-day events with my work and council schedules, but I also have a good staff,” he said. “But the accomplishments we’ve had have been really amazing.”

This is the easiest one to cover for sure. Roland Gutierrez is running unopposed. His website is here. The voters really should have a choice but if no one steps up and puts their name out there then we end up with a non-race like this.

Maybe this might be why getting good people to step up and run is like pulling teeth.

Sec. 6. Compensation.

Each member of the council shall receive as compensation for his services as such member the sum of twenty dollars ($20.00) for each meeting of the council attended, provided that the total of such compensation shall not exceed one thousand forty dollars ($1,040.00) per annum.

This is from our city charter. I would post a link to the charter itself but you have to download it so instead here is the link to the page the download is on. On the left hand side it says city charter click on it to download the document.

I know we don’t want our city council members to become rich on our dime but there should be compensation equivalent to the job. $20 a meeting is not it. If anyone thinks that the job can truly be done well for $1,040.00 a year, then I just don’t know what to say.

Technorati Tags: San Antonio District 3, San Antonio City council, District 3, Roland Guitierrez , election

]]> http://digdeepertexas.com/2007/04/23/district-3-san-antonio-city-council-seat/feed/ 1 http://digdeepertexas.com/2007/04/22/the-express-news-takes-a-look-at-the-district-2-race/ http://digdeepertexas.com/2007/04/22/the-express-news-takes-a-look-at-the-district-2-race/#comments Sun, 22 Apr 2007 17:49:46 +0000 TechDigger http://digdeepertexas.com/?p=393 MySA.com: Metro | State

Out of the hurly-burly of District 2 politics, two candidates — Keith Toney and Ron Wright — are looking to derail Councilwoman Sheila McNeil’s re-election bid.

I found websites for Ron Wright and Sheila McNeil, nothing yet for Keith Toney. Ron Wright’s site appears to have information on various programs he supports or would initiate but I never really made it through all of them because I was sick of listening to the Fox News report on Ron Wright’s candidacy announcement that starts on every page and which you can’t turn off.

Sheila McNeil’s website isn’t as loud (much safer to surf to during working hours) and has basic information available. I do wonder about the all of the asterisks on her accomplishments page since there doesn’t seem to be any explanation for them.

I’m not a District 2 resident and based on the little information available, I really can’t argue for one candidate over another. I just keep thinking that the combination of term limits and limited financial compensation means that any differences in the candidates is nothing more than tinkering at the margins.

Technorati Tags: San Antonio District 2, San Antonio City council, District 2, Keith Toney, Ron Wright, Shelia McNeil, election

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